Not just a weapon
by She-Ninja
Summary: This isn’t just a weapon! If my suit designs fall into the wrong hands, anybody could take over the world!" "And whose hands are the right hands? Yours?" "No, mine are the only hands." / Tony is having a hard time with a replacement aid sent by Pepper \
1. Intro

_Heyo! Here is my attempt to write an Ironman fic... I kind of have an idea on the plot, but right now I'm open for suggestions! Rating might go up, but so far it is very G-rated...I think..._

_Anybody else think Ironman was the best Marvel movie yet? (This follows the Movieverse version of Ironman, because it picks up right as the movie leaves off.)_

_I didn't stay for after the credits, though my friends told me what happens. So this may or may not be entirely compatable. No, I'm not even going to try to write a plot with S.H.E.I.L.D. involved. Wayyyy too complex. Besides, I like it better acting like the other superheroes don't exist with Tony...it makes it much more beleivable._

**_Disclaimer: I love Marvel, but don't claim any of it._**

**_--_**

_"This isn't just a weapon! If my suit designs fall into the wrong hands, anybody could reproduce a copy, and they would be able to format it to their liking! Mass produce it, and you can take over the world! No, you won't be receiving any information about it. The government is the wrong hands."_

_"Whose hands are the right hands, Mr. Stark? Yours?"_

_"No…mine are the only hands."_

_--_

"That went well." Jim Rhodes growled as Tony Stark walked past him after escaping the press conference. The Colonel nodded to a few men in suits, and they turned to make sure nobody followed.

"Aw come on Rhodey, you know I never follow the cards!" Grimacing when his friend didn't reply, Tony softened his voice, pleading, "Hey, come on. You saw me up there, mixing up my words. I said something about being a superhero for Christ's sake."

Rhodey sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "What are we going to do, Tony? I don't think training exercise is going to cover this one."

"What, really? Because I really thought we could say something about fighter jets-"

"Tony!"

The nervous billionaire flinched, turning to accept the wrath that would be Pepper.

"Hello Pepper..."

"Tony Stark, what were you thinking?!" The redhead shrieked, locking her knees, pressing her hands to her sides, and sighting her targets onto her boss, "I mean, I already had two reporters ask about your job and if you were there that night at the explosion and now, now six more are asking about if you were going to be this "Iron Man" full time and if it was you that blew up the reactor and about your injuries and two even mentioned your kidnapping-"

"Pepper—Pepper breath." Tony interrupted, holding his hand out to try and calm his assistant.

"Ohhh…what are we going to do?" she wailed, and collapsed into a chair.

Tony frowned, "Well I was thinking-"

"Doesn't matter," Rhodey said, grabbing Tony's arm and Pepper's wrist, "because the mob from the conference just got past the guards."

"Pepper, please tell me Hogan is outside waiting for-"

"Hogan!" Pepper gasped, breathless, and led them through a side door. "He said he would be parked out front-"

Rhodey pulled them to a stop. "No way are you guys getting past the reporters without an escort."

"Well," Tony started, unsure if the trouble he brought on meant he didn't have a voice, "I'm pretty sure we already have one Colonel."

The man set his mouth in a straight line. "I can't just barge through the crowds-"

"Fine."

And Tony strode ahead, out through the doors, and was greeted by flashes of light and shouted questions.

"Are you in cahoots with the police force?"

"Do you have a sidekick?"

"Did you kill Obadiah Stane because he was a rival?"

"Are you insane?!"

The last question caught him off guard, and he paused before entering the black car that Hogan whipped around, catching sight of Pepper struggling after him.

"Get in, Pepper."

"How did you-"

Rhodey placed a hand on her back, giving her a strong nudge towards Tony. "Get in the car now, questions later."

"Okay…"

She stumbled past a very persistent reporter, but Tony caught her arm and helped her into the vehicle before he himself got in. With the door closed, it was considerably quieter.

"Wait, what about Rhodey-"

Tony nodded at Hogan, who raced away from the building. "He has his own truck. He'll probably meet us at my house."

"Tony, why did you say that?"

"What? It's the truth. He wouldn't want to leave his truck at the place, so he-"

"No, why did you admit that you were 'Iron Man'?"

And Tony fell into a brooding silence, one that lasted until they pulled up to his house, where he excused himself to his recently repaired shop.

--

_Really short, I know, but this IS the intro. _

_Any comments? I'd love any help!_

_--She-Ninja--_


	2. Chapter 1

_Several Months Later…_

"Jarvis!"

"Yes, sir?"

Tony shuffled through another drawer full of papers, hunting. "Where is that one thing…"

"Sir, I may be a super-intelligent robot, but I certainly cannot read minds."

"The one thing with my information on it!"

The computer sighed, his voice bored. "Sir, I have your SSN on file, along with all of your other personal information. Ms. Potts made sure to upload and update all of your information before leaving."

Tony paused, feeling slightly foolish for rifling through his own shop desk. He stared down at the scattered papers, some of them of concepts, some of engines he had worked on, some of them merely sketches he had made on impulse. Why he was looking for his social security number in his drawing desk he didn't know, but since Jarvis knew everything-

As he began straightening up his recent mess, the paper that he first picked up caught his eyes.

It was Pepper, her hair windswept, leaning on the balcony outside. It was a simple drawing, merely a few lines for her hair and body, and looked like he had ripped it off the side of one of his larger papers. But it was Pepper- he could tell by her eyes.

His mess forgotten, Tony turned and leaned back on his desk, mind skipping quickly to think of Pepper.

She was beautiful.

Yea… he nodded, smiling. She was. She had that smile that made him grin back. She had that pretty hair and those long legs. She had those sweet lips and that strong jaw line. She was beautiful…

And Tony smiled.

Right up until you looked into her eyes and she opened her mouth.

She was too much like him, sometimes.

He flipped the picture away from himself, back into the pile of numerous ideas and projects. When Pepper first began working for him, he was greatly attracted to both her strong mind and her beauty. But she was much too above sleeping with him, and he let his attraction slide into distant liking. Then… that night on the roof…

Sometimes he did think about what would have happened if he had kissed her, like she was leaning in to do. But… something told him no, that he needed her as his assistant more than he needed her as a lover. Besides, she didn't seem too excited about being his "always worrying yet proud" girlfriend, who knew who he was and what he did. Before the conference when he mentioned that night upon whim… he could tell. He could tell that sometimes she thought about what would have happened. But, just like Pepper would, she realized it wouldn't work. She realized quickly that she was more of a nanny than anything. And she knew better than anyone but Tony that she would never be that girl.

That girl…

"Sir?"

The mildly bored voice brought him from his strange thoughts, and he shook his head.

"Yea?"

"You have a visitor, sir."

Something told Tony that his AI was slightly thrown off.

"Well, who is it? Pepper?"

"No sir; Pepper shouldn't be back for at least another few weeks."

Tony quirked his lips, glancing around for his other shirt. Currently he was sporting merely a black tank top and some jeans. "Should I be concerned?" He paused. "Is it a reporter?"

"No sir. I believe she was sent by Pepper…"

Tony paused yet again, curiosity overriding his search for a shirt. "Really? Now what makes you say that?"

"Well sir, she…she appears to be on the phone with Pepper."

Tony ascended the steps two at a time, running a hand through his hair. He stopped at the table in the room above his shop, glancing through the mail like he always saw Pepper doing.

His lovely assistant had been forced to leave Tony's side when she received a call from a hospital across the country. Apparently her mother was on her deathbed and was calling for her daughter, who had lost touch with her mom after a particular fight about her job.

She told Tony_, "I'll be gone for an indefinite length of time. Hopefully Jarvis will be able to pick up after you and be your nanny in the meantime."_

_"You don't really want to go, do you?" _He had said, giving her a long look in the eyes.

_"Actually, I would like to see her off. Maybe we can work things out. She's the only one left in my family. I guess…other than you, she really is all I have left."_

_"Yea…but I __seriously__ only have you. I…jeeze, who is going to take care of the women in the morning if you're gone?"_

And Pepper, being the amazing Pepper that she was, knew that he was afraid of being alone, and had smiled and pat his cheek, saying_, "I'm sure you will invent some way of taking care of the problem."_

He had broken his attempt at humor then, grabbing her hand_, "Pep, you know I can't make it without you."_

_"You can try, though, for me."_

"Sir?"

"Jarvis, I swear, if you break me out of one more reverie today, I'm going to shut you down for maintenance for a week."

"Sir, the lady is still at the door. Shall I let her in?"

Tony sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Sure. Let her wander in. I'll be right back."

"Of course, sir."

--

The door slid open with a quiet hiss, but she could see nobody in the room beyond.

"I take it that was Jarvis that just opened the door, since there is nobody around?" She asked Pepper, who laughed.

"Oh, I bet Tony's off in his room trying to find a clean shirt. Give the poor man a minute."

"He doesn't seem so poor…" The woman muttered, and entered.

"Hello miss."

She smiled at the sound of the mildly bored voice. "Hello Jarvis. Ok, Peps, I made it in alive. I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure sure. Call me when you leave."

Her phone clicked shut, and she paid full attention to the house. She was inspecting an animated sunset, which, she slowly realized, was a replica of the ones she had seen in Hawaii, when Tony Stark himself slid around the corner.

--

_Well, my line breaks are refusing to work..._

_So here is the next chapter...part of it. I really didn't want to cut it off here..._

_But I wanted to get something out before getting buried by schoolwork for the week. I was utterly taken aback by the amount of favs, alerts, and reviews for such a short chapter- with a summary that bad! My inbox was like "FIVE MILLION MESSAGES FROM FANFIC!!" and I promptly fell out of my chair. I'll probably come back and edit this chappy later but in the mean time..._

_Thanks so much for reading! Until next time..._

_--She-Ninja--_


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N: I just wanted to let people know, since I forgot in the first two chapters, that this is NOT a romance between Tony and Pepper. I am all for that, but for some reason this plot started needing another girl for Tony._

_So… yea… sorry about that…_

* * *

Tony let his mind fabricate several reasons why a woman was at his door as he hunted for a clean shirt. Wanting to look relaxed, he ended up with a dark brown one that was casual, and the color made the green flecks in his eyes stand out.

He heard Jarvis greet whoever it was, and heard her reply. Her voice was slightly deep for a woman. Suddenly he had the mental image of a horrifyingly ugly girl, sent to be his nanny.

That would be something Pepper would do…

But as he slid around the corner, he realized he had it quite wrong.

She was _not _horrifyingly ugly. In fact, he couldn't call her ugly at all. From where he stood, he had a clear view of her very lovely bum. In _fact_… He tilted his head sideways. Was that the best ass he had ever seen?

Indeed it was.

Tony Stark let his devilish smirk ease over his much desired lips. Ahh… thank you Pepper.

The woman turned then, blinking at the sight of the billionaire staring at her with a sexy smile.

"And you're Tony Stark."

The way she said it, it wasn't even a question. She smiled timidly as he realized she had a slight British accent. He blinked, still assessing her body.

"Yea, I'm Tony. You know Pepper?"

She smiled, a blush lighting over her pretty cheeks slightly as she ducked her head. "Yes, well…Pepper looked me up. We were friends in high school. I was just a name she remembered, who the government approved."

At first Tony ignored her accent. British, yes…but with a little Italian maybe? Whatever it was, it was sexy.

So, being Tony Stark, he mentioned it.

Her blush darkened slightly. "Uhm, thanks. I…well; I just got back from England. Studying in Europe, you know…"

No, he didn't. He never needed to really study or anything. His future was kind of set out for him.

"So…Pepper sent you?"

Her eyes lit up slightly. "Yes. She passed me at the airport in New York, asked for a favor. She looked so worried I agreed."

She was being slightly evasive, but Tony didn't press the matter. Suddenly realizing they were still standing in his entryway and she was still wearing her jacket, he beckoned her inside, offering to take her jacket.

"Oh… thanks." She murmured shyly, and shrugged off the trench coat.

Tony was so caught up in his thoughts, trying to figure out everything he could about her and wondering what questions he would ask her, he didn't realize what she was wearing. He hung the coat in the closet and led her into the living room.

"So… you were studying in Europe?"

She was inspecting the water feature by the stairs, but turned at his voice. "Yes. England, before that Italy. Popped by Romania for a bit, very interesting country."

Well, that answered nothing. But then she tucked her hair behind her ear and went to look out the window, falling into silence, and he took a moment to study her.

A quick scan showed she had shoulder length brown hair, straightened. It looked like she ran her fingers through it to keep it out of her face. She had slightly tan skin that accented her full, gorgeous lips and bright blue eyes. She had a strong jaw line, much like Pepper.

But Pepper would never wear jeans.

This woman was sporting a black turtle neck that was stylish, but it was made more casual by her dark, slightly ripped jeans. She looked about six foot tall, but she had on about inch from her converse. Tony let his eyes draw the length of one muscular leg, appreciating the sight of her bum yet again.

She wasn't as curvy as most of his conquests. Maybe Pepper wanted him to leave her alone.

"So, you going to tell me your name any time soon?"

He wasn't expecting her reaction to his sarcasm.

"Oh! Oh yes, I'm sorry, I completely forgot to introduce myself. I was merely taken aback by the beauty of your home…"

She strode towards him, blushing again. Tony felt himself smiling.

"Celia Turner. Pleasure to meet you Mr. Stark."

He clasped her hand warmly, finding that he enjoyed this woman's presence already.

Her necklace caught his eyes, and without thinking he plucked it from her chest, taking a step forward to inspect the shell shaped piece of glass that…

"Glows?"

Her smile was warm. "No, it's an illusion. The light reflects through the glass from the piece of crystal behind it."

"Ah." He let it fall back and looked to her eyes. "It's very beautiful."

"Thank you. I got it in Italy."

Her cell phone rang, and she flipped it open after a hasty, "My apologies."

"Pep? Yes, I'm still alive." She paused, and blushed. "Yes, we are both fully clothed." Paused again, "Of course I will. Where is it?" Her eyes scanned the room, falling on the monitor on the wall. "Alright. Yes, I'll see that it's done." Pause. "Of course. Talk to you later."

The phone snapped shut, and she laughed quietly. "Pepper is surprised that I am so resilient to your advances. I think she is exaggerating when she calls you a 'man-whore'. Or do you really have wild sex with random women and don't care?"

He paused. _Ok, lie, or tell the truth and have her begin disliking you_.

…_Damn you conscience!_

"No, it's true. I had to stop when Pepper left, because hey, I don't know how to get rid of clingy women. Pep takes care of those chores."

One of her full eyebrows rose. "Interesting."

And she was unfazed.

"Jarvis? Pepper told me you would upload Tony's schedule up on a palm pilot for me?"

"Of course Ms. Turner."

She clipped the palm she pulled out of her pocket into the wall, watching its progress. When she unclipped it and thanked Jarvis, he realized why Pepper sent her.

"Wait…are you replacing Pepper?"

"Not exactly, Mr. Stark." She threw her hair into a pony tail, looking around at the empty pizza boxes. "I won't be paid, but Pepper worried that you would forget your appointments without someone tangible to remind you. And… well…" She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, inspecting Tony. "Never mind."

"No, tell me." He persisted. Why else would Pepper send him some nanny?

"Oh, it's nothing. She just… she worried about you."

He pursed his lips, inspecting the woman, deciding that she was keeping something from him. "That sounds about like Pepper. What was she worried about this time?"

"She…she thought you would get lonely…"

With that she grabbed a few pizza boxes and hurried in the direction of the kitchen. He soon heard Jarvis explaining the different devices in the kitchen. The computer then went on to explain the layout of the house.

Tony wasn't one for being embarrassed. He just didn't get uncomfortable. But he felt slightly perturbed at Pepper for naming his weakness to a woman he didn't even know.

"Mr. Stark?"

"Yes, Ms. Turner?"

"Uhm…you have a conference with a 'Mr. Guigabeck' at five o'clock."

He nodded, impressed. Most people who worked with Greg couldn't pronounce his name after two years of working for him.

"Yea…thanks. And, Celia?"

The name rolled off his tongue. He didn't know why he said it, or why she looked up at him all wide eyed.

Something told him then, as he stood over her as she leant to pick up the empty glasses of alcohol and pizza boxes, that she was going to be just fine with him. The only thing was… she was different. Her voice was more melodic, and had that accent. She was very truthful. She seemed smart, but quiet.

She was just so damned different than Pepper, and he had just gotten used to the redhead!

"Yes…Mr. Stark?"

"…Don't break anything please."

* * *

_Ergh! Filler chapters suck. This is unreasonably awkward…_

_By the by…_

_I am SO grateful to everyone who has commented, faved, or alerted this! Thank you thank you thank you! Virtual cookies all around!_

_--She-Ninja--_


	4. Chapter 3

_Whooee! Long time since I updated, but hopefully I'll make it up to you all with a (relatively) long chapter._

_A reminder: I don't have anyone to edit these before I post them, so any mistakes I will apologize for in advance._

_Yes, I know, another filler chapter. Yes, I know, we want action. _

_But come on... it is an exciting, drama filled day!_

_SORRY! I'll try to get to the good stuff soon!_

_(Let's pretend for a second I give my chapters names)_

Chapter Three:

One hell of a day

_--_

"This report is most pleasing, Mr. Stark. You have yet again produced a successful company from near nothing." The round businessman shuffled his reports together, "And Mr. Guigabeck, your position will be promoted by the end of the week. Thank you for everything."

With that, the stout man shook Greg Guigabeck's hand, nodded to Tony (who was reclining in his chair, a brooding expression on his face), and exited the room.

"You realize you just made a company about a million dollars more rich."

Tony nodded absentmindedly.

"Sure sure…"

Greg sighed, smiling. "Tony, if you manage all of this with your head in the clouds, I would love to see what you can do when you put your mind to it."

"Like build a suit? Like become Iron Man?" Tony straightened in his chair, and Greg smiled lightly. "I became a super-hero just because I had to think about something for more than a few minutes."

"Amazing what happens when you actually try, eh?" Greg closed his briefcase. "I'm fairly certain you are free for the rest of the day. Why don't you go home and try to invent a terraforming machine?"

Tony eyed his business partner, his mind running through possible blueprints for a moment. When he broke from his thoughts, the conference room was empty.

And he realized Greg was joking.

"Oh sure" he muttered, sending his papers skittering into a loose pile, "play tricks on the rich genius who just landed you a promotion."

As he walked out of the office and into the elevator, he pulled out it cell and was about to press the speed dial number for Pepper when he remembered she was gone.

Frustrated, he punched out his own home number, hoping Celia was still there.

"Mr. Stark." Jarvis greeted tonelessly.

"Hey Jarvis, ol' buddy. Why don't you put the human on the phone for me?"

"Miss Turner? Of course."

Tony waited, tapping his foot slightly as the elevator doors slid open and he moved towards his office.

"Mr. Stark?" Her voice was puzzled.

"Hello Ms. Turner. Would you be a dear and check for any lunch appointments for the day?" He slid into his chair and tapped his way onto his computer.

"Certainly Mr. Stark. Uhm…" She paused, "couldn't you have asked Jarvis? I'm not complaining, but he did answer the phone…"

Tony blinked, "I guess I'm used to asking a human about my day planning." Shaking his head, he pressed, "My lunch?"

" Hmm… it looks like you have a follow up appointment with your doctor at four… but your day looks open other than that. Why do you ask?"

He frowned, glaring at something on the screen.

"I wanted to know if I would have some time to myself, to be perfectly honest. Be home soon."

And he hung up without so much as a goodbye.

"He's very much like my father in that aspect." Celia whispered to Jarvis back at the Stark household. "Never a proper goodbye. Just 'Click!' and you're left with a soundless phone."

Jarvis chuckled.

Tony pulled his lip for a moment, before bringing a memory stick from his drawer and saving several files to it.

"Should I leave, Jarvis?" Celia asked, Swiffer-mopping the floor.

"I doubt Mr. Stark has a preference either way. He usually does his work in his labs and shops downstairs."

It was then that Celia reached the stairs that curved downward, and realized they were far dirtier than the other floors.

"Ms. Potts doesn't normally clean those, however, she does not use a, ahem, 'Swiffer WetJet' either."

Celia raised an eyebrow. "She probably never heard of them. I find them extremely useful." The wetjet plopped onto the first stair, and she continued cleaning.

"Do you like working for Mr. Stark, Jarvis?"

There was a pause, and Celia stopped mopping and blinked.

"Jarvis?"

"Mr. Stark created me, Ms. Turner. Serving him is my sole purpose."

Looking down at her mop, Celia pressed, "Yes, but do you enjoy working for him." Silence. "Certainly he gave you joy sensors?"

"Well… I suppose I do enjoy some things." His usually toneless voice took on a far more thoughtful sound. "However, I have never been asked if I enjoyed working for Mr. Stark."

"That's silly." Celia muttered, furrowing her brow as she worked on a particular grease spot, "you have so much personality, it only seems right that you would have an opinion on who you work for."

"I…I do enjoy it," came the final response, "He is fair to me, even if snappy sometimes. And Ms. Potts is almost as delightful as you."

Celia paused, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "You are a delight as well, Mr. Jarvis."

The computer hummed, and Celia went back to mopping.

--

Tony zoomed through the front rooms, skittering to a halt in the living area.

"Celia?" He called, looking around.

More confusedly, "Jarvis?"

Giggling came from the staircase, and he moved towards them in a daze.

"Goodness, how did you ever get so dirty?"

Another giggle.

Tony took the stairs two at a time, sliding to a stop at the bottom and punching in the code for the door before looking up.

Celia was cleaning one of his hapless aids, smiling broadly. Light music was playing in the background, and her foot was tapping with the beat. The robot undergoing the cleaning was shifting, opening and closing, bending and twisting, aiding the cleaning process.

Dumbstruck, and at a loss for words for once in his life, Tony stepped into his shop.

His footsteps were finally heard, and Celia froze, her face dropping the smile instantly. She leapt to her feet, and the robot she was working on squeaked and rolled away, probably hiding.

"Mr. Stark! I am so sorry! I was just cleaning the staircase there and Jarvis asked if I knew how to clean grease and I did and so he asked if I would like to see the robots that helped you build things and I was so intrigued I completely forgot that you would be upset if I invaded your work space and I would completely understand if you wished me to leave it was completely my fault and I should have known-"

"Jarvis?" Tony struggled out, even as Celia inhaled for the first time in a full minute and began to gush about how she was extremely embarrassed and how she didn't normally snoop in peoples houses and how she did have manners-

There was a whirr and a click and Jarvis finally answered. "Mr. Stark? You're back? I was just-"

"Jarvis, I…"

Jarvis must have then realized that Celia was still running her mouth in embarrassment. "Ah, I see. Ahem, Mr. Stark, it is my fault Ms. Turner is in your workshop."

Tony regained some composure, noting that Celia was on the verge of tears. "I guessed that much. How should I…" He waved his hand at her, unsure of what to do.

"Ms. Turner, it is quite alright."

Celia stopped talking for a brief moment, and Tony leapt for the opening.

"Really, Celia, I'm not upset. I was just… surprised."

She blinked, eyes still wide. "Aren't… aren't you going to fire me?"

Tony grinned, showing teeth, finally back on his feet. "Why would I do that? Did you see something I would not have wanted you to?"

She turned white as a sheet. "I- no sir- of course not- I mean I wasn't snooping just cleaning and-"

"She didn't see anything, Mr. Stark. I assure you." Jarvis interrupted before she could get going again.

Tony moved further into the room, still smiling at her. She blinked back.

"I… still I apologize, sir." She managed, seemingly regaining composure. "I should not have barged into your personal space."

"You can get as personal as you wish with me, Ms. Turner, I assure you." He replied, his smile turning sexy in an instant.

She turned a lovely shade of pink. "Mr. Stark, I don't… that isn't…"

With a smirk, Tony peeled off his jacket. He looked back up at her, eyes sparkling. "You might even like it."

Struck by his charm, she turned darker pink, the shade very becoming on her tan skin.

Of course, he told her so.

"Mr. Stark," she fluttered, abashed, "I don't-"

"Please, Tony is fine."

Here she took a deep breath. "I don't think that is entirely professional, Mr. Stark."

He grinned, hearing the slight attitude in her voice as she stressed the formal name.

Before he could charm her any more, she gathered her cleaning supplies and made a break for the door, only pausing before it to ask, "Was there anything you needed me for, Mr. Stark?"

Tony let a predatory smile part his lips, and enjoyed watching her blush. "If I need you, I will let you know." And he winked.

She took off up the stairs, converse making no sound as she retreated.

The door closed. "That was not very nice."

Tony laughed at Jarvis. "Oh come on. You of all people should know how I am."

"Yes, but she doesn't."

Tony paused in clearing his table off. "And what does that mean?"

The music switched to more his taste and turned slightly up. "She may not know that you are playing with her. Exercise some restraint, Mr. Stark. This is her first day."

Tony grumbled something incoherent, and walked over to his computer. Suddenly remembering why he was eager to come home, he frowned.

"Has there been any projects on terra forming?"

Jarvis hummed in thought. Or perhaps he was checking the internet. "Not many. Why?"

Grumbling, Tony replied, "Greg told me to work on that. I think he meant it as a joke… it's a bit unrealistic, isn't it?"

"Yes. According to the laws of water, it seems a bit improbable."

Tony threw the idea into his trash bin, and opened up the latest updates he was working on for his suite.

"Did we get the latest weapon upgrade yet? I sent that order in two days ago."

Walking over to his worktable for the suite, he didn't notice right away that Jarvis hadn't responded. He called to the AI again, confused.

"Sorry sir. What was that?"

Tony cocked his head. "What's with you today, Jarvis? You seem…out of it."

Which, Tony continued in his head, is a human action, a human trait. Too human for Jarvis to be like. Unless…

Tony quickly assured himself that no harm could possibly come to his AI.

"I do not know what you mean, sir."

But Tony knew something was off.

"Don't try that with me, Jarvis. You didn't respond this morning, and you didn't hear my question thirty seconds ago." Abandoning his project, he moved towards the door.

"I was… running small maintenance. Sir."

Tony sighed, knowing his aid was definitely up to something. "Come on, Jarvis. You can't fool me. Is it a lady computer? Is that what has your attention?"

He meant it as a joke. He was shocked when Jarvis didn't respond again.

"Jarvis!"

--

Celia straightened in the kitchen, pausing in mid-sentence, hearing Tony's shout from the living room. "Jarvis? Is Mr. Stark trying to get your attention?"

"One more moment, Ms. Turner. My apologies."

--

"Yes sir?"

"It's a woman, isn't it!"

Jarvis was an AI. AI's don't stutter.

Jarvis had to remember this.

"Sir, are you quite alright? You seem… crazy. Well, crazier than normal."

"Don't change subjects Jarvis. Who's the lucky lady AI?"

"I don't-"

"Mr. Stark? Is everything alright?"

Tony turned to the kitchen, catching sight of Celia at the doorway and Jarvis' hologram behind her.

"Sir, there is no 'lady AI'. I am merely talking with Celia."

Tony had to think for a moment. Did Pepper ever randomly talk with Jarvis? He didn't think so.

"I'm sorry…" Celia said, looking down. "I just-"

"Why is your hologram on?"

Celia ducked her head, blushing.

"Ms. Turner mentioned she felt 'weird' talking to thin air."

This explained a lot.

"Oh… well…"

--

Tony admitted he was selfish. He did it all the time. It was very bad with Pepper. When he found out she had a boyfriend a year or so ago, he was extremely put out. He didn't want to share his Pepper with anyone.

He had a hard time enough sharing her with her own mother.

However, nothing to prepare him for being so extremely selfish with Jarvis. Sure, he could pass some of it off because Jarvis was his creation, thus it literally was his property.

But he was still pouting when half an hour later Jarvis was still 'chatting' with his new aid.

However selfish he was about his AI, he couldn't bring himself to be upset with Celia about it. But still…

What could be so interesting about an AI? He didn't have a past, he wasn't capable of feeling any extreme emotions.

"Sir?"

"Finally." Tony grumbled. "Are you paying attention now?"

"Yes, sir. I wonder if I could propose something?"

Tony rubbed his eyes, nodding.

"Ms. Turner admits that her apartment is not yet ready for her to live in. She was wondering if she could stay the night with you."

Tony's head shot up.

"Jarvis, I'm fairly certain I am mistaken in that I just heard you say that Celia would like to stay the night with me. Surely she has not-"

Jarvis sighed. "Not in your bed, sir."

"Ah, yes, that makes all the more sense." Spreading his arms wide, Tony replied, "As they say, 'Mi casa es su casa.' She has seen my workshop, what more trouble could she stumble into in one night?"

"She swears she will stay in the living room, sir."

"Fine, fine…" Tony turned on the hologram of the Iron Man suite, grabbing the control pen and pulling apart on of the arms. "About the weapon upgrade… I was thinking that…"

If Jarvis sighed, Tony didn't hear it.

--

"I would have suspected reporters to be dogging you to no end about Mr. Stark." Celia admitted, finishing off her Italian dinner. She was sitting in Tony's sparkling kitchen, looking over the bay while talking to Jarvis, who was sitting next to her.

"Most do not even know I exist."

Celia looked at her watch. Tony sure had been at his doctors for a long while…

As if reading her mind, Jarvis frowned. "Perhaps you would like to call Mr. Stark?"

"Indeed I would." She leaned in her chair to reach the cordless phone, pulling it from its dock. It was ringing when she put it to her ear, courtesy of Jarvis.

"Thanks." She mouthed, and sipped her wine.

"Yes?"

Raising her eyebrows at his lack of manners, Celia timidly asked, "Is everything alright, Mr. Stark? You have been at your doctors for," she glanced at her watch again, "three hours."

"Well," he grunted, and Celia looked worriedly at Jarvis, "I did have to wait in that damn waiting room for an hour. Then the doctor, -nngh-, puttered about the damn reactor for another hour, before he, -gunh-, injected some crap into my blood. Of course, it was loaded with some crap that the reactor didn't enjoy too much. So they –ouch!- carted me off to the hospital to make sure I wasn't injured horribly. Get away from that!"

Celia's heart rate increased, and Jarvis, being Jarvis, noticed her hand shaking. They both knew he was talking to someone else with that last sentence.

"And where was Hogan, during all of this?" He asked through the telephone. Celia didn't even wonder how he did that.

"Oh hell- they sent him off. I bet he's still outside the doctor's office though."

Jarvis shook his head.

"Listen, Celia. I know I've only known you a day. Even though it's been an exciting day… But I was wondering if you could do me a solid."

"A solid, sir?"

"A favor. A favor!" His voice rose with the second clarification.

"Of course, sir, anything, sir-"

"Get me the hell out of these damn hospital hands!" Celia cringed, "If I can get to my own lab I can clear the gunk myself, but these knuckle heads are too excited to get a look at the reactor to even listen to me."

"Of course sir."

Tony hung up on her then, with another pained yelp.

"Do you have transportation?"

Celia nodded, still looking confused. Finally, Jarvis asked what she was wondering as she pulled her trench coat out of the closet.

"What is his 'reactor' he mentioned?"

--

She still didn't know when she reached the hospital. Jarvis had been too surprised, but promised it would be explained to her later. She parked her car and quickly ran through clearance.

"Excuse me." One nurse said, stepping in front of her. "This is a restricted zone. You must be either a doctor or a patient to enter these quarters, and there is a patient already being seen to."

Celia glared at the woman. "I know. That's my boss in there. If you will excuse me, I need to go to him."

"Not without clearance you aren't-"

Celia whipped out her wallet and pulled out I.D. "Happy now?"

The nurse blinked. "I…I…M-my apologies, Ms. Turner. Had I known-"

"Shut up and get out of my way."

The nurse retreated.

--

"Ouch! Stop poking that, you numbskull!" Tony flinched away from another prying hand. "Hey! Don't touch there!"

They had managed to flip open the reactor, and one of the scientists on hand had hurried in five minutes ago. Luckily, he wasn't smart enough to bring any recording material, so Tony felt a bit better knowing they probably wouldn't learn anything.

He felt a lot better when he heard a ruckus outside, and the large bay doors to the emergency room slammed open to reveal Celia as the source of the mayhem.

"My dear, how lovely of you to stop by. Only think how put out I would be if I was left all alone with these idiots."

Celia froze at the doors, eyes zooming in on the glowing reactor. Without shifting her gaze, she slapped off the security guards that were grabbing her arms, and pulled out her wallet.

Whatever she showed them made them fall over themselves trying to get away, which amused Tony despite the situation. She elbowed her way into the still excited doctors and scientists, who looked at her with disdain.

"Tony…"

Tony warmed at the sound of his first name. However, any reply he might have purred to her was lost when one scientist tried to pull authority on her.

Apparently that I.D. granted her a higher rank then everyone in the room, and she moved to his shoulder when they quieted.

"Mr. Stark, excuse my language, but what the _bloody hell_ is that?"

--

She had first noticed his lack of a shirt when she made it into his room. Despite herself, she admired the man, before the glowing thing in his chest caught and held her attention.

Now, with a clear view, she took in the many tangled wires, the ooze that was smeared all over his chest, and the deep pit over his heart. When she had her fill of the robotics, she inspected the rest of his body for injury.

"Someone tell me why several regulations were broken this day."

The oldest doctor cleared his throat. "His personal doctor was on leave during Mr. Starks appointment, and the stand in had no idea about the reactor, so when he injected Mr. Stark the-"

"Shut up."

Tony raised an eyebrow as she snapped at the doctors. She had plenty of authority. That was the head doctor.

"Tell me why, when Mr. Stark requested," Tony sniggered, "that he be released, you did not comply?"

"Should he be injured or his life in danger, we suspect it would be our responsibility to see that he is returned to good health." The doctor replied, seemingly on sure ground.

Celia was silent as her eyes flicked to the readings on the computers next to the table Tony was on. They flickered as if some power source was pulsing nearby.

"Though his heart readout is sporadic, as to be expected under hectic circumstances, he is otherwise healthy. Explain his containment to me, again, please."

This time the doctor was hesitant. "The… the injection he received… he responded badly to it. We were only trying to help-"

"You mean to tell me," she began, giving them the evil eye, "that someone who was not his assigned doctor, who obviously had not read Mr. Starks charts, injected him with some sort of medicine, not know how it would react to Mr. Starks personal body and condition?"

Tony didn't know the implications, but he suspected it was bad, the way she said it. The entire situation was very humorous to the man, despite his pain. Several seasoned doctors cowed by a young woman. He hoped Jarvis could tap in and steal the recording security camera feed.

"Hold on one second-"

"And when Mr. Stark attempted to explain the situation, and how you were not authorized to keep him against his will, why you did not immediately contact his chauffer and release him?"

"We assumed that-"

"You assumed it was normal for a man to have that thing in his chest and did what you pleased?"

The 'that thing' comment almost hurt Tony's feelings, but he was enjoying the show too much to speak up.

"Miss Turner, we only-"

"The man is a billionaire, and a hard working man. Not your latest experiment and not a test subject."

The doctors were silent, cowed.

Celia turned, satisfied, and pulled the straps from his arms. Released, he gave her a grin while clicking the reactor back into place.

"Thanks." He cheerfully said, spinning to rest his feet on the floor. "A few more minutes and I might have gone into cardiac arrest, and they already had out the zap-pads to kill me."

Hearing this, Celia caught sight of the 'zap-pads' as he called them. Taking a deep breath, she told herself not to kill the idiots, instead helping her boss from the table.

"Can you walk?"

"Of course I can walk!" He retorted, and wobbled to the doors. When she didn't follow, he called over his shoulder, "Coming?"

She threw a glare at the doctors. "You're getting off easy." She growled, and followed him out.

* * *

_Whew! That was a doozy. I'm already working on the next part. FINALLY the day will end beginning of next chapter._

_Then excitment? Maybe... dunno yet._

_Anyways, toodles! And thanks so much for reading!!_

_(my line breaks arent working!! again my apologies!)_


	5. Chapter 4

"That was great!" Tony exclaimed, holding on to Celia to steady himself as they made their way through the parking lot. "I thought you might have been hard pressed to get me out of there, but I will admit to being wrong for once. Who know you were so tough under all that sweetness?"

She said nothing, still cooling from her battle. She stopped by the passenger door of her car, unlocking it and helping him inside.

"A Smart Car? I wouldn't think you could fit into one of these, you're so tall." He admitted, buckling in.

She closed his door and opened hers, sliding in. Smiling lightly, she muttered. "Ta-da."

"Though somehow I'm not surprised. I hear small cars are all the rage in Italy. Must be handy, too. Larger cars probably wouldn't survive their crazy traffic."

"It is different." She replied quietly.

He rambled the whole way back to his house, smiling every time she would murmur some response.

"So Ms. Turner," he said slyly as she helped him out of her car, "how _is_ it that you managed clearance and authority over the head doctor?"

She shrugged. "I know some people."

His avoidance senses were tingling. A secret?

Curiosity growing, he chuckled as she helped him through the front door. "Alright then, keep your secrets."

"Jarvis?"

"Ms. Turner, Mr. Stark. How was the doctor's appointment?"

Tony went down the stairs by himself as Celia hurried to the kitchen to get a wet towel. "Not so hot. Dr. Doofus got a little too interested in the reactor. Luckily Ms. Turner sprung me from my jail cell before they killed me, but I'm still going to need some repairs. Celia?" He called.

"Coming, sir." She said, rushing down the stairs with the wet towel as he opened the door.

"Good. Come on in, I'm going to need your help. Not squeamish, are you?"

She gave him an empty look, her eyes catching his and holding them as he prepared to lift himself onto his repair chair.

"Not at all, Mr. Stark."

And he was pulled from her disconcerting eyes. Once on his back again, he coughed. "Alrighty then, this day keeps getting better and better. Let me see that towel- ooh! Warm… good, it helps to pus come off."

He cleaned his still bare chest, and opened the reactor to further clean.

"Now I'm sure you've heard all about this thing-"

"Actually, Ms. Turner has no knowledge of your, ahem, hobbies."

This information made Tony pause in cleaning, looking up at his new assistant.

The sun was setting, he realized suddenly, the reddish light coming in through the windows and giving her face a soft glow. Her eyes contrasted with the warm colors, still their usual icy blue.

And they were fixated on his reactor.

"You… didn't hear on the news?"

Her head shook slightly.

"Pep- Ms. Potts didn't tell you?"

Again her head shook.

"Jarvis?"

Another shake.

Sighing, Tony looked at the ceiling. "I supposed I'm used to everyone know everything about it. It's…" his eyes slid to hers, "almost relieving, having someone know me before they, well… _know _me."

"I… I will try to not be swayed by whatever you wish to tell me, sir."

His eyes were grateful. Sometimes… sometimes it was hard being a superhero. Maybe she…

_Maybe she's 'that girl'…_

"Sir?"

Tony shook his head, ridding himself of such ridiculous thoughts. "Right. About how big are your hands?"

Confused, she held one hand up. He raised his own and pressed their palms together.

_"About how big are your hands?"_

_Pepper stared at him. "Excuse me?"_

_"Your hands. How big are they?"_

_She held one up._

_"Perfect, perfect, now-"_

"Mr. Stark?"

_Wow, great time to have a flashback about another girl, Tony,_ he chided himself silently, _while you're holding a girls hand-_

He quickly unlaced their fingers, wondering when and how that happened. By the look on her face, it must have been his doing.

Her hands were long and slender, more elegant than anything.

"Play piano?" He asked nonchalantly, setting the reactor next to its hole and tossing the towel away.

"I- yes. How did you-"

"Just a guess. Now, I need you to help me clean out the reactor."

She took a step back. "The doctors at the hospital were not authorized to do anything with your 'reactor' and I find I am just as unauthorized. Can your robots not-"

He caught her wrist before she could move farther away. "Ms. Turner, my robots are hapless and having a certain jerking movement. They also have no sense of touch. When it comes to this, nothing beats a human hand."

She inhaled slightly, catching the scent of pus and other secretes. Shaking her head, she was about to insist that he should get someone else to, when he stopped her.

"Please, Celia. I need you to do this for me." And he almost repeated what he had told Pepper all that time ago…_You're all I've got…_

His eyes were like liquid chocolate in the lowering light and she absentmindedly asked Jarvis to turn on the lights in the room.

Standing next to him, she took a deep breath, pushed her sleeves back, and lifted the reactor.

It was lighter than she expected. Curious, she inspected the different pieces of it.

"It saved my life."

She turned her face to her boss's, somehow surprised although she guessed as much.

"What do I need to do?"

"Inside its socket are more mechanics. Unless I'm wrong –and I'm never wrong- about what they pumped into me, I'm fairly sure there should be some residue on the bottom. It's likely to be blood colored, but should feel-"

"Grainy?"

He looked down at her hand, which had dark blood on it. "Yes, that's the stuff. Get as much as you can, and then we can –gah!"

"What!" She froze, hand still inserted in his chest cavity, "What what?! What?!?"

"The… ouch! One of the wires got pulled a bit loose, I think. I thought I felt it in the hospital but-"

"What should I do?"

"You wouldn't know how to fuse a wire to the plate, would you?"

He sifted through a nearby drawer, coming out with a tiny blowtorch.

"No… no no no- I am _not _torching _anything _in your chest cavity. Burnt tissues on the heart are _extremely _hard to heal and I am _not _an engineer of any sort!"

Grimacing, he pulled out a mirror. "Then make yourself useful and hold this mirror."

She complied, holding onto it with a slippery hand while the other held the wire in place with long tweezers

The torching was a quick fix, one he chuckled about as she cleaned up. Her hands shook ever so slightly as the blood red color swirled down the drain, but her back was rigid. Turning from the sink, she caught sight of him plugging himself into a wire, one that beeped before falling silent again.

"Alrighty then..." He smirked, clapping his hands together and rubbing them slightly. "What is there to do while I'm just sitting here..."

"Well, I, uh..." Celia pulled out her palm pilot, tapping through his schedule. "You… you have another meeting tomorrow. With… with the, uhm…" she briefly closed her eyes and gave her head a little shake. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she continued, "With the government. I believe it's about some metal armor you have experimented with?" She scanned through the data, not realizing that Tony had stopped paying attention.

It wasn't like he really thought he could escape the government. The aftermath chaos that he had to survive kept them at bay, but there was only so much he could do before they bombarded him. Rhodey had helped, pressing his medical condition and holding off the worst. But they were going to be faced sooner or later.

Honestly, though; Tony had hoped he would have more time to prepare for his own defense.

He didn't realize she had trailed off. His chin fell into his palm as he leant on his armrest. What all would the government want? Probably chip him- should he be kidnapped again, they wouldn't want to completely lose him. Now it was more important than ever that he be kept in the relative safety of the States, but would they force him into deals? Would they use him as a threat to countries? He didn't want to harm anyone- that included wars he had no part in.

With a short sigh he let his face slip so that his fingers could pinch the bridge of his nose. If the government started paying attention to him, what would happen to his company? If they pulled him away, what would suffer? If they gave him supplies and funding…

But that was hoping for the best. It was more likely that they would be screening his building as a safety precaution, and God knows what a ruckus Pepper would make when she heard she needed to keep files on everyone working for-

Tony screeched to a halt in his line of thought. Pepper.

She was gone now. Safe, for the moment. But she was a little too involved with Stane; the government might want to see her as well.

Unacceptable. Tony would allow them to harass him all they wanted, but not one man would lay a hand on Pepper unless she wanted them to.

A slender hand smoothed over his shoulder. Startled, he was brought from his own mind with the smell of tea. He blinked up at a timidly worried Celia.

"You've been sitting here for over ten minutes. I thought maybe you would want something warm to drink and… and someone to confide in."

Her blush was back, but he was far too gone into his thoughts that he found it attractive. Now her innocence made him cringe.

She knew nothing.

He wanted it to stay that way.

With that thought he put his foot down and set aside all of his attraction to her. It would never feel right if she didn't know the truth. He had to treat her as another Pepper.

But her eyes were glowing and soft, even in the harsh artificial light of his shop. The sun had set a while ago. Absently he wondered what time it was. Her slender neck led to her athletic shoulders and away from her beautiful face. Drinking in her appearance, he let himself continue preparing for the government.

Long lashes that curled up slightly…

…use his knowledge and suit as a bargaining tool for safety…

…silky hair brushing her shoulders, waves of caramel and copper and even a bit of gold here and there…

…lock away most of the files of older suits…

...smart princess nose that fit perfectly…

…prepare weapon upgrade and stow all other information in safe file…

…full, shaped lips that trembled…

…trembling lips…

…warm…

…

…warm?

He slowly surfaced to reality, his eyes sliding open in slow motion.

There wasn't much he could do though, except slowly lean away from Celia and wonder when the hell he ever leaned forward and captured her lips. He supposed it was a knee-jerk reaction, as they were leaning toward each other, and auto pilot took over. However, Tony quickly realized he could figure out how it started later.

Right now he had to do some quick talking.  
Her eyes slid open. Hazy, she blinked, lips slightly parting, pink and fresh. A hand slowly came up. Dazedly, she brushed the pad of a couple fingers over the offended orifice. Tony watched, holding his breath, waiting for her initial explosion.

Lids slowly rose, realization set in, reality kicking her…Tony followed the thoughts as they flew through her eyes.

"Celia, I…"

He expected to be interrupted by an angry woman, indignant about the breaching of employer employee protocol, and a stern lecture about the proper treatment of an aid. He expected her resignation, and Jarvis' interjections, and a mess…

But she merely sat there, seemingly stunned out of her mind, at a loss for words, waiting for him to make sense of what happened.

She wasn't the fiery Pepper he was expecting.

Tony mentally smacked himself again. Celia was nearly the opposite of Pepper- after only a day he could already see that. Was he so obsessed with the redhead that he was constantly expecting her responses in the back of his mind?

"I'm confused." He admitted, and dropped his head onto his arms in defeat.


	6. Chapter 5

Celia bade the still distant Mr. Stark a goodnight, doing her best to not gape at him. It took most of her control to just keep from feeling her lips, and she was trying very hard to not pressure him about the strange kiss.

_He has plenty on his mind, _she sternly reminded herself, _and he has no time for petty talks with me._

Still, when Celia woke the next morning, comfortably tucked into the large couch, she was already frowning. Certainly protocol was to be in action. Tony must have just acted without thinking about it.

She paused in closing the trunk of her Smart Car, toiletries in hand.

The kiss meant nothing.

Sighing in relief, and yet also disappointment, she re-entered the large house. Jarvis told her Tony would be waking soon after she greeted him with a cheery good morning, and Celia decided she would forget the kiss as he surely must have. She cleaned herself in a spare bathroom and set to work on a hearty breakfast for the business man.

Tony rolled out of bed and stood up. Jarvis obliged him with the hour – five thirty on the dot- and he began another day. Shower, clean teeth, shave, coffee, shop.

He was beginning to brush his teeth when the smell of breakfast, the likes he hardly ever smelled, wafted up to him. Confused, he moved towards the kitchen with merely pants and a toothbrush on his person. Surely Celia wouldn't be awake already…

Jarvis chuckled at Celia, and she made a face. Tony's stove was nearly completely automated, which meant Celia could not constantly adjust the temperature without having to tell Jarvis every few minutes.

She had just finished her first batch of crepes when she heard footsteps. Smiling, she poured a cup of coffee, loaded a plate with food, and turned.

"Good morning Mr. Stark! I made…" she trailed off, taking in his still half asleep figure, complete with motionless toothbrush, toothpaste foam, and stubble. With a blink she was recomposed. "…made you breakfast!" Now nervous, she set the plate one the table and turned back to the stove, slowly dragging her teeth across her lower lip.

Tony stood in the doorway, blinking slowly. Breakfast… morning… food…

He watched her, in all of her ease. Her casual clothes, though today she sported heels, and silver bracelet and earrings.

To be completely honest, he could have watched her all morning. It was mesmerizing, how she moved. She looked like she was born in the kitchen, and his had never seen any fancy action. Eggs, soup, and coffee was his limit when he was working. Pepper… well, he had never seen her make anything more than a cup of espresso at his house.

She bustled past him, catching him off guard. With a jerk he realized he looked like a mess, and scurried back to his room to shave and dress.

When he returned, Celia had finished cooking. She had the newspaper neatly folded next to Tony's steaming plate of food, and was tapping through her palm pilot.

He settled next to her, watching her from the corner of his eye as he dug in. The crepes were surprisingly delicious. Inhaling his food, he lost track of her, and was caught off guard when she reentered the room with his jacket over one arm.

"Your appointment with the Government Agents, sir?" Her professional tone made him look from his empty plate and back to her face, as if wondering if she was the same woman who did both. "Mr. Hogan is waiting with the Bently."

He shook his head slowly and rose from the table. "Of course." His fingers slid between her arm and his coat, brushing the bare skin of her forearm. In doing so, he felt the slight goosebumps that were quickly rising there.

His eyes flicked to her face. She had her bottom lip between her teeth, as though she were concentrating very hard.

Without thinking, he brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. Upwards, from close to her lips, to her hairline near the tips of her ears.

Celia didn't flinch, but her eyes squeezed shut for a moment before she met his. There was uncertainty there among other things, but she seemed to be hiding what she felt.

Their faces were close, intimately close, and were he to lean the slightest bit forward, he could capture her lips again.

"Celia," he whispered huskily.

Her lips parted slowly, eyes shifting to his lips and back. "Yes?" she replied breathlessly.

"Try not to break anything."


End file.
